THE ENEMY OF OUR ENEMY IS STILL NOT OUR FRIEND, AND 2024 TALK MAY NOT BE 2024 TALK

Just a reminder that you shouldn't develop a soft spot for Mike Pence, and neither should any of your liberal-ish friends and relatives:

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday hailed the end of Roe v. Wade and outlined steps he hoped to see states take to further roll back abortion access in his first public remarks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe....

“... make no mistake about it: As we gather tonight, we must recognize that we have only come to the end of the beginning,” Pence continued. “Standing here in the first days of post-Roe America, we must resolve that we will not rest, we will not relent, until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the nation.” ...

Pence urged those in attendance to elect anti-abortion officials at the state level so they could craft policies restricting abortion....

He further called for ending “mail-order abortion” by restricting access to abortion pills....

“Though I do not know if I will be here to see it, I believe with all my heart the day will come when the right to life is the law of the land in every state in this country, and this generation will lead us to a pro-life America,” Pence added.

Yes, Trump's people wanted to kill him and Trump thought that was a good idea, but we shouldn't regard Pence as a less threatening Republican as a result.

Also, I'm starting to believe that the many recent stories asserting that Republicans want a crowded 2024 presidential primary field -- Pence, Youngkin, whoever -- aren't really about 2024. Consider this, from The Hill:

... many GOP members are not ready to pick sides in a Trump-Pence clash, at least not before the midterm elections, publicly downplaying or denying that there is any awkwardness or tension with members embracing the former vice president.

“Both men, Trump and Pence, have a role to play in helping House Republicans take back the majority, and each one of them may play a stronger role depending on the congressional districts,” said Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.).

I think what Republicans are trying to signal, in advance of Trump's inevitable announcement that he's running in 2024, is that swing voters this year who don't like Trump shouldn't think of the party as his, nor should angry Democrats -- heck, there are plenty of Republicans who aren't Trump or Trump clones, and some of them are even enemies! So don't withhold your vote for your GOP House or Senate candidate (or if you're a Democrat, stay home if you're angry at Joe Manchin, and don't let Trump motivate you to vote)!

So Republicans are ostensibly talking about 2024, as in this CNN story:

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee, said that the party has a "lot of good options" and he hopes "they all jump in" to the race....

Senate Minority Whip John Thune told CNN that there will be "other attractive" Republican candidates in 2024 besides Trump, echoing comments earlier this week from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who predicted it will be a crowded field.

And Rep. Dusty Johnson, a South Dakota Republican and member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, said he thinks it would be healthy for the GOP to have a debate about who should be their next standard-bearer.

"I certainly hope we'll have a crowded field so we can have a robust discussion," Johnson told CNN.

But my sense is that they're trying to get this message out before Trump announces, which will almost certainly be before November. I don't think they can out-message Trump, but they're trying.